Kalamazoo Valley Honors Program

The Honors Program is a reading and writing intensive learning community that aims to prepare graduates to transfer to top-notch colleges and universities. Successful applicants are expected to graduate from Kalamazoo Valley Community College before they transfer. The program theme is New Urbanism--especially Jane Jacobs's ideas on how to create vibrant cities. Seventy percent of the world's population is expected to be urbanized by 2050; therefore, it is critical that we learn how to make cities work well.

Honors Program students spend a considerable number of hours each week preparing their assignments. The workload is equivalent to what is expected at selective liberal arts colleges.

Program requirements:

• Honors ENG 160
• Honors SOC 202
• Honors HUM 120
• Honors PSI 101
• Honors PSY 270
• Honors Thesis and poster presentation
• MATH 160 or either MATH 216 or MATH 220
• Fifteen hours of community service each semester
• Weekly summaries of articles selected from The Economist magazine

Members

Benefits

Selected benefits of being a member of the Honors Program include:

• Learning with highly motivated peers
• Small classes with 20 or fewer students
• Preparation to transfer to challenging universities
• Mentoring and assistance with course selection
• Letters of recommendation upon graduation
• Improved scholarship prospects at transfer institutions
• Reimbursement of tuition and course fees at the in-district rate

Apply

Step 1

Submit a standard Kalamazoo Valley Admission Application form to the Admissions, Registration, and Records Office, room 9140, Texas Township Campus.

Step 2

Composition Ability

• An Accuplacer WritePlacer essay score of 7 or 8. (WritePlacer Guide with Sample Essays) Applicants who earn a 6 will be considered if they complete the Accuplacer Sentence Skills test and score 110 or higher. These tests may be taken at the Texas Township Campus Testing Center.

• A high school GPA of 3.5 or higher in college preparatory subjects. Evidence must be presented that high school grades were assigned by five or more teachers. In addition, a written explanation must be submitted for any grade below a 3.0.
• A score of 27 or higher on the ACT examination.
• A score of 1290 or higher on the new SAT
• A college GPA of 3.5 or higher for 20 or more credits earned in college transfer courses. Applicants who have earned more than 30 college credits may be deemed ineligible because the program takes four semesters to complete.

Step 3

Prepare and forward a résumé of your accomplishments, along with either your official transcripts or ACT/SAT scores, and a copy of your Accuplacer WritePlacer essay results. E-mailed or faxed documents will not substitute for hard copy. Do not include any additional information in your application materials such as letters of recommendation, writing samples, or pictures. Please mail your application documents to the director at the following address:

Stephen Louisell
Honors Program Director
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
PO Box 4070
Kalamazoo, MI 49003-4070

Step 4

Finalists will be required to sit for an interview with the director. Interview questions will be e-mailed to candidates whose names are put forward. Successful applicants will be notified by e-mail approximately one week after their interview. The Honors Program scholarship pays full in-district tuition and course fees for up to 70 credit hours for students who maintain program standards. Scholarship funds are disbursed at the end of each semester to all students who have met weekly writing, community service, and grade point average program standards.

Contact

You may contact Stephen Louisell, director of the Honors Program. You may also visit the Honors Program office in the faculty office complex at the Texas Township Campus in room 7363.

Please make an appointment prior to your visit by calling (269) 488-4335.